Frozen Fingers
by Ashton Li
Summary: I love you" didn't seem to mean anything anymore. At least that's what Eiji thought when Fuji would whisper those words to him. Though, when their frozen fingers are entangles together, a spark ignites making Eiji see things he never did before.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE:**** Welcome to my newest FujiXEiji fic. I won't ramble on too much here. I just need to mention that I do not own these characters or the Prince of Tennis. Enjoy~!**

**Frozen Fingers**

The winter's snow fell from the sky making a white blanket on the ground. Children yelled and screamed as they ran around in the cold substance. An older child with reddish-brown hair dodged an oncoming snowball and grabbed onto a boy that was a couple inches shorter than him.

"Sorry, mister!" a boy around nine apologized and went back to his friends.

"That was close," the shorter of the two smiled as he fixed his black rimmed glasses.

"You know, Fuji, I like how you look in glasses. They make you look smart."

"Eiji, are you saying I looked stupid without them?"

Eiji pulled his way in front of Fuji. He stared at him with his sapphire eyes. "I never said that. I know you're smart no matter what."

"Doesn't the chill of winter make you lonely?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"But you don't have to worry about being lonely as long as you're with me."

"Right…" Eiji put his hands in the pockets of his coat. _Truth is…I feel the loneliest when I'm around you.

* * *

_

"Eh?" Momoshiro ran outside of the school. "It sure is snowing hard."

"This is terrible weather…" Kaidou hissed as he wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck. "I can't wait for the winter to be over."

"I think the snow gives things a romantic feel," Fuji walked up behind the younger boys.

"Fuji-senpai!" they both jumped.

He smiled. "I love Eiji even more in this weather."

"Do you love him less during the other seasons?" Momoshiro questioned.

Fuji didn't bother to reply. He simply laughed and walked in the direction of his house.

As Fuji left, Eiji slowly made his way out of the building with Ryoma. He sighed as he noticed Fuji leaving.

"Fuji…" Eiji looked at the ground.

"Maybe he had something important to do," Ryoma looked up at the older boy sulking. "Kikumaru-senpai, I really wish you wouldn't get like this."

"Like what?"

"Lately, you've been really gloomy. Did something happen between you and Fuji-senpai?"

"Nothing happened," Eiji reassured him. "I must be getting sick or something."

"Sick?"

"See you later, Ochibi," the older boy quickly made his way down the road. He didn't dare to look back at the three of them.

"Do you really think he's getting sick?" Momoshiro scratched his head.

"Idiot," Kaidou crossed his arms. "He said that just to make us think that nothing is wrong."

Ryoma shook his head. "I don't have a good feeling about this…"

* * *

Eiji sat in his room. He slowly wrote in his journal.

_Fuji, why do you smile at everyone the same way you smile at me? Don't I deserve a special smile? I'm starting to feel as if this relationship is going no where. No matter how many times you tell me you love me, it doesn't feel like you mean it. You should love only me. Hug only me. Give me that special smile. Trust me. Believe in me. Why don't you? Are we really together, or are we still just friends. You don't kiss me as often or hold my hand. Are you cheating on me? I thought I was the only one in your life. I'm thinking too much. I'm coming to conclusions too soon. I guess what I really want to know is why I feel so alone even though you're right next to me._

He closed the book he wrote in and frowned. Taking it in his hand, Eiji placed it to the side and wrapped himself in his blankets.

"It's cold…" Eiji mumbled as he shut his eyes. "Are you cold too?"

**NOTE:**** That would be the end of the first chapter. It's kind of short, but that's ok. As you can tell, this is my new FujiXEiji fic, "Frozen Fingers". It's a fic that I'm hoping can become something that I can be proud of. It was originally going to be in Eiji's POV, but then I decided that it would be better not to write it that way.**

**If you've read any of my other FujiXEiji fics, you'll notice one difference in this one than the others. Yes, I finally got their heights right! I made Eiji the taller one and Fuji the shorter one. I deserve a cookie for that one. Haha. I put Fuji in glasses again (I did this in a FujiXRyoma fic). I like him in glasses. I haven't yet specified their ages, but they're in high school. That will be shown later on, but I just wanted you to know…just in case you were wondering.**

**I know, I'm mean for making Eiji have to go through these types of things. I deserve to be hit with a stick or something. First, in "The Pressure of Our Love", all those not so nice things happen to him. Then, in "Call Me Beautiful", he doesn't get to be very happy either. Will I ever have a FujiXEiji fic where I don't torture Eiji? Maybe one day…**

**Anyways, I probably won't update like I usually do (at least once a week). I plan on putting a lot of fics up, so it'll be hard for me to update everything on a steady schedule. I do hope you've enjoyed this chapter and will continue to enjoy this fic to the end. Now, I must go write fics for random pairings!**


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Eiji rose from his bed. After fumbling to get dressed, he plastered himself to the window. The clock ticked to the seconds that passed.

"Come on," Eiji's breathing fogged the window. "Where are you, Fuji?"

Becoming overly worried, Eiji grabbed for the phone that sat next to his bed. Right as he began to dial Fuji's number, he heard knocking coming from the door. Throwing the phone to the side, he ran to answer it.

"What took you so long?" Eiji demanded as he flung open the door.

Fuji stood there smiling at him. "Sorry, I saw Tezuka, and we ended up talking. You don't mind if he walks with us, right?"

"Huh?" he looked over towards Tezuka who stood next to the short boy. "Good morning, Tezuka…"

"We should get going. We don't want to be late," Tezuka decided as he turned away from them.

"Wait up, Tezuka," Fuji giggled. "Hurry up, Eiji!"

Eiji let out a sigh but quickly formed a smile on his face. "Right~!"

* * *

As the three of them arrived at the school, Tezuka made his way over to Oishi and Inui who stood right out the front doors. Eiji tried to follow, but he was stopped by Fuji. Pulling him to the side, he brushed his hand against Eiji's frigid cheek.

"Are you cold?" Fuji softly whispered into his ear. "Would you like me to warm you?"

A light shade of red covered Eiji's face. "We're going to be late, Fuji."

"Of course," Fuji nodded and walked towards the doors.

_There he goes pulling me in at the worst possible times. What are you thinking, Fuji? I wish you would be straight forward with me,_ Eiji closed his eyes as he tried to shake away his thoughts.

"Senpai will freeze if he stands there for too long," Echizen's body lightly hit up against Eiji's as he walked past. "Shouldn't you hurry and get inside?"

"I know that!" Eiji frowned. "Maybe Ochibi should hug me and warm me up."

"Shouldn't you be telling that to Fuji-senpai? You're weird, Kikumaru-senpai…"

"You're mean~!"

Ryoma cocked his head towards the taller boy. "Will it make you feel better if I walked with you?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Uh!" he crossed his arms and started to walk away. "Lets go…"

* * *

Eiji sat in his classroom staring at the back of Fuji's head. He noticed a stand of hair sticking up but refused to reach up and fix it. Unable to pay attention to his teachers lecture, Eiji placed his head on his desk. As soon as his eyelids closed, thoughts about Fuji raced through his mind. Was Fuji thinking about him too?

"Kikumaru!"

"Huh?" Eiji rose his head up. He turned to see his teacher staring down at him.

"Why don't you stay late so I can explain what you missed during your little nap?" the teacher suggested as he tapped papers on Eiji's desk.

"What? But…"

"I'll go over everything after school, sensei," Fuji moved around in his desk so he was facing the two. "That is if you're ok with that."

"That's fine, Fuji. Thank you for your help," the teacher made his way back to the front of the classroom. "Lets finish the rest of this lesson."

"Try not to fall asleep when I'm teacher you tonight," Fuji opened his eyes showing there bright blue color. "If you do, I'll just have to punish you."

Eiji softly smiled at Fuji. "I'll make sure to focus all my attention on you."

"The lesson, Eiji," he giggled. "You should focus all your attention on the lesson."

"Ok…" a frown fell upon his face. _This is almost annoying…

* * *

_

Eiji always remembered Fuji as the type of person to joke around with him. He knew when to take things seriously, but even when Eiji failed to pay attention during junior high, Fuji would say something to make him feel better. Lately, when they studied together there was nothing but that. It wasn't something Eiji was used to. He missed when Fuji would kiss him softly on the cheek for every answer he got right. There used to be a time where Eiji commanded Fuji's attention. It was as if they were the only two in the world. Then, slowly, they began to drift away. Fuji would spend more time with the others of the group. Everything he said began to sound so meaningless. Eiji could only wonder what Fuji was doing behind his back. Was he being unfaithful? That's what it seemed like when Eiji noticed that he seemed like the only one giving. There was a tiny ache in his heart just thinking about it. He knew that he loved Fuji more than anything else, and he didn't even want to think about what he'd do if he found out that Fuji's feelings were fading.

**NOTE:**** Ah…a much needed update is finally here. I know, it's another short chapter. I don't know if I have the ability to make the chapters for this fic any longer. I'll try to though…maybe.**

**Ryoma made a small appearance. I'm amazed Oishi hasn't made an appearance yet. I usually use him as my "help Eiji not go completely crazy" character. Have I abandon him for Ryoma? Actually, my last FujiXEiji fic ("The Pressure of Our Love") lacked Ryoma. I guess that's why I threw him in this time. Actually, there's also Kaidou and Momoshiro in the first chapter. I've only used them for a split second in a FujiXEiji fic. Am I finally bringing in those I've neglected?**

**Anyways, there's this song "Geki-dasa Daze" by Shishido's seiyuu (Uh…what's his name? Kusuda Toshiyuki…I believe…). I've overplayed that song the past two days. I can't help it. I like it a lot. I realize now that I should probably make a playlist of all the songs I like to listen to when I write so I do have to stop writing just to change songs.**

**I have to find the papers, but I think I'm almost done with the first Tenipuri fic I started. It's also a FujiXEiji fic…and probably my worst fic for PoT in general. I think I'll still put it up when I can find it. I want to start another fic. I just can't decide which one. It'll be one of my Kaidou ones…so…TezukaXKaidou, KaidouXRyoma, or EijiXKaidou (or would it turn out to be KaidouXEiji?). Then again, I have an OshitariXEiji fic that I could start. I don't know. Maybe I should wait until I have more time.**

**Well, I'll stop rambling about things no one probably cares about. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will do my best to update when I can. Thank you for reading~!**


	3. Chapter 3

At Eiji's house, he sat with his large teddy bear in his arms staring at Fuji. The other boy read from their text book all these things that didn't overly interest Eiji.

"You know, Fuji, we really don't have to go over this," Eiji tilted his body forward.

"You're the one who decided to sleep during class," Fuji smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "It's our last year of high school…we have to do well in our classes."

"Wouldn't you rather do something fun? Studying is so boring."

"What do you have in mind, Eiji?"

Eiji placed the bear off to the side and crawled over to Fuji. Pulling the book out of his hand, Eiji let his arms go around the shorter boy. He placed his lips gently upon Fuji's. Fuji instantly pulled away when they made contact.

"What are you doing?" Fuji's eyes opened in shock to reveal their icy blue color.

Anger grew inside of Eiji from his kiss being rejected. "I was trying to give you a kiss."

"Why?"

"Why? Are you serious?" he rose to his feet and stormed out of the room. After realizing that they were at his house, he came back in and pointed to the boy who still sat on his floor. "I'm sick of playing this stupid game. Please leave, Fuji. I will see you tomorrow in class."

Fuji got up and stared at Eiji. "What's wrong?"

"I would like you to leave. I do not want to talk to you at this point of time."

"Eiji…" he nodded and went to the door. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Good-bye."

"Bye," he left the room without looking back.

"Are we even in a relationship anymore?" Eiji growled as he picked up the large teddy bear off the floor. Aggravated, he threw the bear towards the door but hit his bookshelf instead. Letting out an angry cry, he began to toss the things that fell back onto the selves. "This is all Fuji's fault. This is all Fuji's fault. This is all Fuji's fault!" Eiji picked up the last book which was a small photo album. Flipping through the pages, tears began to form in his eyes. He stared at a picture of him along with Fuji from their first year of high school. "I…I should have told you how I feel…"

* * *

The following day, Eiji woke up and placed on his school uniform. Staring out the window, he knew that Fuji was not going to come that day. Deep down, he knew that his words must have hurt his feelings even if he only said them out of anger. After a few more minutes of useless hoping, Eiji placed on his coat, wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck, and, as he headed for the door, he grabbed his bag and left.

* * *

"So, yesterday my younger sister and brother both decided it would be fun to attack me with snow when I got home. Well, I taught them a thing or two!" Momoshiro's laugh echoed through the area as he talked to Kaidou.

Kaidou shook his head as if he didn't agree with what the other boy was telling him. Looking past him, he noticed the figure of Fuji walking their way. "Fuji-senpai."

"Good morning, Kaidou," Fuji had his natural smile painted on his face. "Morning, Momoshiro."

"Huh? Where's Eiji-senpai?" Momoshiro darted his head back and forth. "He's not with you?"

"It seems like I did something wrong. I thought it would be best if I gave him some space before we talked," he explained as he rubbed his bare hands together. "I left my gloves at his house though."

"Is something wrong between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Eiji-senpai has been acting differently. A few days ago he said he must be getting sick…"

"Sick?" Fuji let his eyes flash open. "He didn't look sick."

"That's because he was lying," Kaidou placed his hands in his pockets. "Even Echizen seems to be worried about him."

"I wonder why Eiji just doesn't tell me what's getting him all like this…"

* * *

As Eiji headed down the sidewalk, he noticed Ryoma up just a little bit further. Picking up his pace, Eiji reached Ryoma and let his arms hang over the boy.

"Ochibi~!"

"Where's Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma questioned. He didn't bother trying to fight Eiji off of him; he just continued to walk.

"I don't want to talk about him," Eiji put more weight onto Ryoma's shoulders.

"You're heavy," he finally decided to pull away from the older boy. "Kikumaru-senpai, how are you feeling?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You said you might be getting sick a few days ago. I guess I might be worried."

Eiji hung his head low. "Did I do something wrong? Do you think that Fuji would leave me for someone else?"

"No," Ryoma shook his head. "I don't think Fuji-senpai would let you just slip away from him."

"Ochibi…" tears rolled down Eiji's cheeks as he wrapped his arms around his body. "Then why does it feel like he drifting farther and farther away from me? Why do I feel so alone when I'm standing right next to him?"

Ryoma's reached out his hand but reverted back. "Senpai, you'll get sick if you cry out here…"

"I'm too old to be crying like this. I need to pull myself together," he wiped his tears with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Have you thought about talking to Fuji-senpai about the way you feel?"

"I just didn't think it would be the right thing to do."

"Inui-senpai told me once that you can't know everything just by watching. Sometimes you have to learn things by asking questions. He was talking about data and stuff, but I'm sure it fits this situation too," Ryoma fixed his bag that was falling off his shoulder. "Maybe you need to talk to Fuji-senpai about things to get the answers you're wanting. He might not be able to see that you're lonely if you don't tell him."

Eiji quickly gave the boy and hug and took his wrist. Running down the sidewalk he began to laugh. "Come on, Ochibi, if we don't hurry we're going to be late."

"You're mood sure did change."

"It's because you're right. I really am an idiot."

* * *

Making it to the school, the two of them headed into the building. Thanking Ryoma, Eiji promised to talk to Fuji right after school. It was a promise he wouldn't dare break. As Eiji left for his classroom, Ryoma let out a sigh. He was relieved to see Eiji back to his normal, cheerful self.

**NOTE:**** Chapter 3 is complete~! As I wrote this chapter I noticed some things. First, there is lack of Oishi in this fic. I think I've only mentioned him and that's it. I'm pretty sure I have yet to mention Kawamura. Tezuka has shown up once, and Inui has not had a part either other than the information that Ryoma said to Eiji towards the end of this chapter was from him. In other words, this fic is kind of like the opposite of my last FujiXEiji fic where Oishi, Inui, and Tezuka were all pretty important characters. I just don't ever give Kawamura enough love…**

**Anyways, I liked how this chapter turned out. It was easier to write than I thought it would have been. I hope everyone likes this chapter too (and the chapters to come).**

**I really don't know how much longer this fic will be. Once it's done, I will probably take a break from writing FujiXEiji fics and write for a different pair. Most of the other fics I have planned feature Eiji as one of the main characters (one where Fuji even rejects Eiji). I think I might write that KaidouXRyoma fic I have planned though. Everyone just loves that pair, right? -insert silence here- Okay…maybe not. Oh, I have an idea! I'll put a poll on my profile with all the pairings I have story ideas for. Then, you guys can decide what I write next. That sounds like a good idea.**

**That's enough rambling from me. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you'll come back for the next chapter~!**


	4. Chapter 4

When lunchtime was only minutes away, Eiji found himself swaying left and right in his chair. He knew that he had to talk to Fuji about the way he was feeling, but he was starting to get nervous. As the bell rang to signal the end of class, he quickly rose from his seat.

"Fuji, lets have lunch together."

Fuji smiled and looked up from gathering the papers on his desk. "Don't we usually eat lunch together?"

"That's true…it's just…"

"Is something wrong, Eiji? You don't seem like yourself."

"Fuji…" Eiji grabbed the slender wrist of the boy and pulled him out of his seat. He began to walk out of the classroom pulling Fuji behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Just come with me."

* * *

Eiji made his way through the hallway and spotted a door. Nodding to what he saw, he entered through the door dragging Fuji along with him. In the room was a row of tan colored stalls along with sinks of an off-white color.

"Eiji, why did you take me to the bathroom?" Fuji questioned as his wrist was given back to him.

"Because there's no one in here," Eiji headed towards the back wall. "I thought it would be easier to talk with no one around…but I'm still not able to figure out what I want to say."

"You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything that's on your mind."

"Is there someone else…someone that you like more than me?" the taller boy looked down to the right. "If there is, I wish you'd tell me. If you want to be with someone other than me…you should just say something. I don't want to continue to go nowhere. I just want to know the truth!"

"Eiji, do you think I'm being unfaithful to you? Do you really think I would go behind your back and see someone else?" Fuji solemnly looked at him with his icy blue eyes.

"With the way you've been acting lately…I don't know what to think anymore," Eiji let himself slip down onto the ground as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I don't want to believe that you'd cheat on me, but I don't even know what you might be up to anymore. I love you, Fuji…I love you so much, and it hurts just thinking about the things you could be doing."

Fuji sat next to the boy and softly wrapped his arms around him. "I would never do anything like that."

"Then…why do I feel so lonely even when you're right here next to me?"

"I don't think I'm the one who can answer that, Eiji."

"Will you at least hold me for a little bit longer?"

Fuji's grip around Eiji grew tighter. "Sure."

The two of them stayed right there on the floor of the bathroom until it was time for their next class to start. Even thought Eiji felt completely alone with Fuji holding him so close, he was slightly relieved. He knew that Fuji was telling the truth when he said those words. The fear that Fuji was cheating on him was completely gone. Though, there was still the fear that their love was slowly drifting apart. Just like the snow on the ground would soon melt into nothing, would their love do the same? It was a thought that Eiji just could shake off. There were still so many questions he had yet to get the answers for.

**NOTE:**** I know, this chapter is really short. I took forever to update and this is all I give you. Sorry, sorry. I hope you'll forgive me.**

**I have been terrible at keeping up with my updates lately. I've been so busy, and I'm so sorry that it's taking me so long to get chapters up. I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with everything. **

**As I said, this chapter is short. I didn't plan for it to be this way, but I decided I'd rather keep the next part for the next chapter. I hope you liked what happened in this chapter at least.**

**I've been announcing in all my updates that I have a poll in my profile. I don't think I've said it here yet, so…I have a poll up in my profile. Please vote in it. I'm trying to figure out what fic to write next (KaidouXRyoma, TezukaXKaidou, EijiXKaidou, OshitariXEiji, or a Fuji Family fic that has no pairing to it). All of them have story ideas to them, so I just need to see which one people would like more. After that poll is finished, I have more that I'll be doing because I have a lot of ideas lately. So many ideas…so little time. I can't wait until February because I'm going to write a fic for Fuji's birthday (I'm not that sure if it'll have a pairing to it or not though.). I need to work harder on what I've already started though.**

**Anyways, I'm really just rambling about nothing. I have no idea what I'm going to do for my next FujiXEiji fic. Or did I say I was going to take a break from this pairing after this one is finished? I can't remember. If I come up with an idea for them, I will probably write a new fic once this one is over. That reminds me, I want to start working on the sequel to "Senpai or Lover?" (My first Tenipuri fic to be posted.). That'll take some time though, but I know I had some reviews for that asking about a sequel or something like that. I don't know why I'm talking about this here though because it's totally unrelated to this fic (mainly because it's EijiXRyoma).**

**Oh, may I say something that made me get very embarrassed? I have a website, and I posted something in the forum asking for help on deciding which song to sing for a PoT karaoke contest. I ended up posting myself singing so they all could hear how (horrible) I sound. I was really shock when I was compared to both Kaida Yuki (Fuji Syusuke) and Minagawa Junko (Echizen Ryoma). I was kind of embarrassed, but extremely flattered at the same time (I love both Kaida's and Minagawa's voices.). Sorry, sorry…I was rambling about silly things again.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter (How did this note become so long?). Thank you for continuing to read this fic. It makes me know that the things I write can't be a horrible as I sometimes think they are. Thank you~!**


	5. Chapter 5

As the school day came to a conclusion, Eiji began to gather his books and placed them in his bag. Getting out of his seat, he set the strap of the bag on his right shoulder. While staring at the tiled floor, he headed for the door.

"Eiji," Fuji quickly got up from his desk and grabbed his bag. Running out of the classroom, he followed Eiji as the boy struggled to put on his jacket. When they exited the building, Fuji reached out his slender hand and took hold of the back of Eiji's jacket. "Eiji."

"What is it, Fuji?" Eiji turned to look at the shorter boy.

"You don't want to walk home together?"

"It's not that," he scanned Fuji's body. "Where's your jacket?"

"Oh," placing his bag on the ground, Fuji held out his jacket for Eiji to see before putting it on his chilled body.

"Come on," Eiji let out a sigh as he started to walk away. "Lets go home."

* * *

Slowly making their way down the street, Fuji pulled his hands to his mouth and let the heat from his soft breathing warm them. Noticing that his efforts in trying to bring warmth to his hands were futile, he stopped walking.

"Eiji, give me one of your gloves. The one from your left hand," Fuji moved around his fingers as if he was afraid they would freeze if he didn't continue to do so.

"Why? Didn't you bring your own gloves?" Eiji faced the shorter boy with a frown on his face.

"I left them at your house when you made me leave in a fit of rage."

"Oh," he pulled off the black glove that covered his left hand. After tossing it to Fuji, he began to walk again. _Is that it? Is our relationship better to you, Fuji? I believed you when you said you were being faithful, but…there's still something that feels wrong. If you love me…Fuji…if you truly loved me, wouldn't you treat me differently? It's not the same…things between us…they're completely different._

"Eiji," Fuji trailed after the boy. When he was in reach of him, Fuji grabbed hold of Eiji's bare hand. He let their fingers entangle together. "If we hold hands like this, we'll keep them warm."

"This feeling," Eiji barely uttered as his cheeks were covered with a light red color. He could feel his heart beginning to beat faster. Squeezing Fuji's hand tightly, Eiji let tears swell up in his eyes. "Tell me…Fuji…is your love fading?"

"What's that, Eiji?" Fuji shifted himself to face him. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Do you really love me?"

"Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?"

"Our relationship isn't the same. You say you love me, but those words have become so meaningless to me. Prove to me that you truly love me."

Fuji let go of Eiji's hand and let his eyes flash open. "Prove to you? What is there to prove? I've been faithful to you, Eiji. I've done nothing but love you. Every day I'm with only you."

"Stop lying!" Eiji's voice cracked as he screamed. "You're never with me. You're always with Tezuka or someone else. When I feel like being affectionate, you always push me away."

"You do the same to me, Eiji."

"That's because you always want to kiss me at the worst times. What am I supposed to do? If your heart isn't completely in this relationship…if you can't completely give yourself to me…I…" he bit his lower lip as tears continued to drip down his cheeks.

"Eiji, I've been in this relationship with you one hundred percent since day one. You're the one who keeps questioning things. If anything, maybe you're the one who has the heart that isn't completely in the relationship."

"I…" Eiji rose his right arm and swung his hand across Fuji's face causing his glasses to fly off. "Fuji…I…that…"

"I understand," Fuji took off the glove he wore and gave it back to Eiji. Picking his glasses up off of the sidewalk, he gave the taller boy a sad smile. "Maybe, in the end, our relationship was meant to fall apart. Think about it, Eiji. Think about our relationship and what you want in life. I'll let you be the one to decide where our love will go." Without letting Eiji respond, Fuji placed his glasses back onto his face and walked away.

"This isn't…this wasn't…no…Fuji…" Eiji clenched his fists together. "Fuji!"

It was pointless; Eiji knew that no matter how loud he called out the name, Fuji wouldn't turn and run back to his side. With an aching heart, Eiji continued down the path towards his house.

**NOTE:**** Yay! Another chapter! What chapter is this? Chapter five? Yes, I believe we're on chapter five. Everything that happened in chapter was completely different from what I had planned. How many people were expecting a happy chapter? Yeah, sorry if you were. I was too…it just didn't happen.**

**Since the last time I updated, I created an updating schedule for all of my fics. This fic will be updated no later than Sunday (January 31****st****). I made a schedule so I will make sure I won't fall back into that "not updating for a month" mode. I didn't like the fact that it happened because I used to update all my fics within three days (Actually, when I first started writing my fic "The Fallen Prince", I was updating just about everyday.). I think giving myself about a seven day break between each fic is a good idea.**

**I'm excited to say that I will be starting a new fic called "I'm Not Broken". This will be a KaidouXRyoma fic, so I'm looking forward to it. With that said, if you're interested, I hope you'll check it out once I finish and post the first chapter. Also, I would like to mention that there is a poll in my profile asking what couple I should write for based on a sentence that's given. I hope you all will vote on that. I think there's six different pairs to choose from (FujiXRyoma, FujiXEiji, AtobeXRyoma, NiouXKirihara, NiouXFuji, and OshitariXFuji).**

**I'm not going to ramble too much more. I just want to say thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope you'll come back for the next one. I'm happy with how this chapter came out, so I'm hoping those who read it will be too. Thank you for continuing to support me. It means a lot to me~! **


	6. Chapter 6

Eiji sat on his bed with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs. He slightly rocked back and forth with salty tears falling down his cheeks. Trying to fight away the thoughts that Fuji could have been right only caused him to become more frightened of what the future might hold. All Eiji felt he could do was sit there and dwell on the fact that the relationship that they once had was truly falling apart.

"Fuji…" Eiji barely uttered through his sobbing. "I have to…do something…"

"Eiji!" his mother called from down the stairs. "Someone is on the phone for you."

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Eiji grabbed for the phone that sat on the nightstand. "Hello?"

"Fuji-senpai isn't answering his phone, and I need to ask him something," on the other end of the line Ryoma softly spoke. "Is he with you by any chance?"

"Fuji…he's not here…"

"Are you getting sick?"

"…no…"

"I can barely hear you, Kikumaru-senpai. Maybe the signal is bad on my phone."

Eiji let out a sigh. "Am I stupid?"

"Sort of," Ryoma bluntly replied without giving his words any thought.

"Ochibi…" he let the phone slip from his hand and fall onto the bed as he once again began to cry. "I don't know…I don't even know what to do anymore…"

"Kikumaru-senpai! Are you there?" the voice coming from the phone was muffled. "Senpai!"

In reply to Ryoma's yelling, Eiji simply tossed the phone onto the floor. He once again pulled his knees up against his chest and held himself close. There were no words within the cold world that could convince him that things would get better.

* * *

A few hours had passed by, but Eiji continued to stay there on his bed. When his door opened, he didn't even bother to see the small boy walking in. There was too much pain in his heart to even care about the things around him. Eiji was completely lost in the thought of Fuji walking away.

"I was right," Ryoma walked up to the bed and looked down at the older boy. "What happened?"

"Why are you here?" Eiji mumbled.

"When you stopped talking, I figured something must be wrong," he scanned the room and noticed all the pictures of Eiji and Fuji. "Did something happen between you and Fuji-senpai?"

"We argued…and…" Eiji let his face show. His eyes were red from all the tears that he had cried. "Fuji walked away…because he was right."

"Right about what?" the tone Ryoma took showed that he wasn't too interested in where the conversation what going, but he knew Eiji would tell him even if he didn't care.

"Maybe the reason why I felt so lonely even when I was walking along side Fuji wasn't because of him. I always thought that he wasn't the one fully committed…but maybe it was me. I though I was giving him my all…my heart…my everything. I was wrong, wasn't I? He told me to think about our relationship and what I want in life…but all I can think about are the words he told me," he shook his head. "I didn't want it to fall apart. Things shouldn't have to end this way!"

Ryoma grabbed for the frame that held a picture of Fuji and Eiji outside in the snow. With their smiles glowing brightly, he could feel the love within the picture. "Then why don't you do something about it?"

"That…Ochibi, there's nothing left to do…he's gone."

"He's only gone because you'd rather sulk around all day instead of actually doing something about your problem. If you want something, you have to do whatever you can to get it," he faced the picture towards Eiji. "Just giving up isn't going to help anything. Fuji-senpai only said those things to open your eyes to what's going on. Your relationship might have fallen apart, but I'm sure you can manage to pick up the pieces and work things out."

Eiji took the frame from the young boy and stared at it. "Since when did you become so mature?"

"Huh? Oh, those were just some things Oishi-senpai and Inui-senpai told me. They were talking about tennis, but it seemed to fit here," Ryoma admitted.

"I see…" Eiji bit his lower lip and placed the picture against his chest. "Don't worry about me, Ochibi, I'll be fine."

"Mada mada dane," he made his way back to the door. Without looking back, he walked out and closed the door behind.

"I guess I'm just still a naïve child," falling back on his bed, Eiji let out a soft sigh. "I'll be sure to tell Fuji when I see him…"

**NOTE:**** Ryoma to the rescue? Arg! Last chapter, Fuji decided to take over, so he just had to argue with Eiji. I forgot to mention that before, but chapter 5 ended different from what I originally had planned. Now, the whole fic has to be changed around hence Ryoma coming to help me fix things that Fuji caused. Though, Fuji's little twist he gave to the fic made me question something. What was more of a twist, Fuji walking away and saying those things or evil Tezuka? If you don't know who evil Tezuka is, don't worry about that then.**

**Anyways, as I was writing the first few sentences, I had an urge to see the names I decided for characters in one of my next novels. I cannot find any of my ideas for my original stories. I do not know where they went to, and it has me worried. I had so ideas that I really liked, but I have no clue where I put the information. I thought I had all my notes in this file thing, but they're not there. I guess this means I won't be working on anything new (except for fics of course).**

**There is a new poll up in my profile. I'll be changing polls every week or so. Please, please, please go vote in the poll. I have no story ideas for another FujiXEiji fic after this one is finished, so I'll see if I can come up with something. I have a bunch of fics to come though, so it's going to get pretty exciting (at least I think it will). I don't know what other pairings you all read for, but I plan to have some fics for some random pairings coming soon (I will write a NiouXFuji fic. I will write it, and I will enjoy it!).**

**I don't have much else to say. I will update again no later than Monday (February 8****th****). I hope that you all enjoyed this fic, and I can't wait to see you back here for the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading~!**


	7. Chapter 7

The following school day, Eiji found himself growing impatient while waiting for Fuji to arrive. His heart was beating rapidly as he couldn't shake his fears of rejection away. Convincing himself that Fuji must not be coming to school that day, he sat down in his desk and let out a sigh. As he did so, the door to the classroom opened and Fuji made his way to his seat.

"Fuji, can we talk?" Eiji softly poked at the boy's back.

Fuji turned around with a smile on his face. "If this is about yesterday, it's best to talk about it later."

"It'll only take a minute."

"You really think everything can be patched up within a few moments? Or are you trying to tell me that you've decided I was right, and you really aren't ready for the relationship we've already starter?" he let his smile fade away. "Either way, it's better to just talk about it later."

"Then will you meet me after school? You have to come by and get your gloves anyways," Eiji stared down at the top of his desk.

"That's fine…"

* * *

As the day progressed, Eiji found himself constantly questioning everything he planned to say to Fuji. There was something in his mind that continued to make him feel as if what he wanted to say wasn't going to be the right thing. Just thinking about these things made him nervous causing him to laugh at himself. The last time Eiji was nervous around Fuji was when they first started to date. Though, the thoughts of things like their first date turned that laughter into airy sighs.

Watching the minutes tick away on the clock, Eiji jumped up for the final bell. He scooped his books up into his arms after placing on his jacket. He noticed Fuji waiting by the door for him, and quickly headed that way. There was silence between them as they left the school building, and neither of them said a word until they were almost half way to the Kikumaru residence.

"I'm sorry," Eiji's voice was barely audible. "This is just as awkward as our first date…"

"Eiji, do you remember what we did for our first date?" Fuji stopped walking and looked over at the taller boy.

"We went out for a walk and it began to snow, so we went to that small restaurant for something warm to drink."

Fuji held out his hands in front of himself. "You forgot your gloves, and when we left that restaurant, your hands became cold. You asked me to give you one of my gloves and to hold your other hand to keep us both warm."

"Just like you asked me to do," Eiji bit his lower lip. "I've been thinking about everything, Fuji. We started to go out the winter of our first year of high school, and I don't think that my love for you has changed. It's just…I feel insecure because since we've become third years, you started to spend less and less time with me. It caused me to think up theories that were almost crazy."

"Such as me cheating on you?"

"Fuji," Eiji quickly shifted himself to see the other boy. "Why is it that you all of a sudden started to spend less time with me?"

"I began to think that you might not like it if I smother you all the time. I wanted to give you the space you needed in order to do things on your own. Even though we're in a relationship didn't mean I should be with you every moment I could. We both have our own lives to live," he let out a sigh. "It wasn't because I started to love you less or liked someone more than you."

"Then why didn't you just tell me that instead of making me feel like you were doing things behind my back? It couldn't have been that hard to say something!" Eiji growled as he swung himself around to face away from Fuji. "I understand that we both have our own lives to live, but I planned on my life to be lived out with you from the day I first admitted my feelings to you. I'm loneliest when I'm around you because I don't feel like I'm special to you! I feel as if our love has dissolved back into just being friends. If you just want to be friends…fine! Just don't expect me to accept it just like that because my love is true, and I promise you that my heart is in this relationship one-hundred percent!"

Fuji grabbed for Eiji, forcing him to turn to look at him. "That's all you had to say, Eiji. You will always be special to me. I may spend time with Tezuka or someone else, but you'll always be number one in my heart. When I'm not with you, I'm always thinking about you. The only future I see is one with you by my side. You are the only one that I love in this way. I never wanted us to go back to being friends because when you first told me your true feelings, my heart raced with excitement. I can't spend every second of my life with you. If I did, you would soon grow bored of our relationship."

"I…I love you, Fuji," Eiji let a frown fall upon his face. "I'm sorry…for the way I've been behaving."

"Eiji, I love you too, but lets hurry to your house. My cheeks are becoming numb," Fuji took Eiji's hand and let their fingers entangle together.

While walking down the road together, Eiji could feel a spark ignite between their fingers. The coldness faded from his had as they continued along. A feeling rushed through Eiji's body causing his heart to pound. It was the same feeling that he had when they first held hands that frosty winter two years ago. Even after the bitter words were spat back and forth, as long as they could continue to walk on together, Eiji felt as if things would be fine. Eiji knew that he couldn't have Fuji for himself and that in order for their relationship to grow they needed to spend time apart as well. With their frozen fingers held closely together, Eiji lost his loneliness and realized that he too loved Fuji even more on these cold, winter days.

_Finished._

**NOTE:**** And…that's the end. Yes, I realize this is possibly the worst ending ever. This actually took way too long to write (the fic as a whole). I started in September and it's already March. Sadly, I do not plan on writing a new FujiXEiji fic as of right now. I do have one planned which is entitled "With Friendship Comes Love". Of course I will not be writing any new fics until May. So, depending on what I'm working on, I may post that fic come May. I must apologize for being so behind my schedule for this fic. The last update I did was back in January, and you had to wait almost two months for this rather poorly written ending. Yeah, I don't know why I thought this fic was going to be better than "The Pressure of our Love".**

**For those that care, I have this poll in my profile to help me decide what fic to write next. I would love it if you all went and voted. There are a good amount of fics to pick from with a few different pairing options. I am becoming more of a FujiXRyoma writer now, but I still have other pairings. My profile is also updated with my schedule along with special fics I'll be writing.**

**I want to say something exciting, but I really can't think of anything. I'm going to actually go attempt to write a chapter for another fic. Thank you for reading this until the very end. I'm sorry if you thought the ending was a complete failure (Hey, at least I finished before all the snow was melted…here at least.). I hope you'll come back for my next FujiXEiji fic, or maybe you'll check out one of the other fics I have. Thank you so much for your support~!**


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